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Topic: LDG Static Buildup Question |
Jamie Kitlarchuk
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 5 Dec 2021 3:45 pm |
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Hey folks, i've got an LDG with Telonics pickup and I've noticed (especially in the dry winter months) a tendency for what I think is static buildup.
When it touch my feet to the pedals or knees to the levers, I get a bit of a staticky clicking sound then a louder hum. Seems to be worse on some levers than others.
If I hold the legs of the guitar or endplates while doing this, it seems to eliminate the problem (i assume I'm grounding myself or the guitar). If I unscrew the legs and screw them back in, it also seems to resolve the problem for a bit.. but it's back within a couple hours of playing.
Any suggestions on how to resolve this issue? |
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Scott Swartz
From:
St. Louis, MO
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Posted 5 Dec 2021 4:33 pm
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I have added ground wires to levers on a couple different steels to fix this.
It may only be one of them, check everything with an ohmmeter in both the actuated and un-actuated positions.
_________________
Scott Swartz
Steeltronics - Steel Guitar Pickups
www.steeltronics.com |
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Larry Bressington
From:
Nebraska
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Posted 5 Dec 2021 4:35 pm
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Dry air causes static, keep the room about 40% humidity with a humidifier in the winter months.
It sounds more like a dry solder joint or an output jack that has build up on it, try cleaning the A tip on the jack, or the ground side, check for sloppy solder at jack. Try some other cables etc etc, a steel guitar wont grow static electricity. Ohm out pick up.
_________________
A.K.A Chappy. |
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Dave Campbell
From:
Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 10 Dec 2021 12:51 pm
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hey jamie...i fell like this might be a cold solder joint. for some reason i remember this happening to me with this guitar. i had a gig where i used an alligator clip on a wire to ground one of the levers. the problem went away so i must have forgotten about it. i wonder if it is weather related?
hope you're enjoying that guitar...i miss it! |
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Pat Moore
From:
Virginia USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2021 3:55 pm
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Hi Jamie,
Check that the ground wire on the input jack is grounded under the changer spring connection plate before it goes to the pickup. That's how they were originally done. I have a '75 LDG & that is how mine came from the factory. Solid ground. I saw another where the pickup was changed, and was not done like that. It had a static & slight hum. Put it back the original way, & took care of the problem.
Best, Pat  |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2021 7:26 pm
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Cold weather, heat low inside humidity, Add Wool, Or certain man made fabrics, Certain Plastics, Carpeting and Syn. Shoe Soles, Fire will fly and shock when contacting something with a good ground will happen. Your person becomes a Capacitor or condenser holding a charge.
There is a Preventive Spray you can use to stop static electric buildup, Spray on carpeting, clothing and car seats so movement will not build up static electric.
When I was a Wildlife Officer had to spray my wool uniform and car seat in the winter prevent shocking and sparks. |
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Jamie Kitlarchuk
From:
Alberta, Canada
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Posted 11 Dec 2021 11:59 am
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| Pat Moore wrote: |
Hi Jamie,
Check that the ground wire on the input jack is grounded under the changer spring connection plate before it goes to the pickup. That's how they were originally done. I have a '75 LDG & that is how mine came from the factory. Solid ground. I saw another where the pickup was changed, and was not done like that. It had a static & slight hum. Put it back the original way, & took care of the problem.
Best, Pat |
Hi Pat, or anyone else out there, can you provide a pic showing where the jack is grounded to the changer or endplate? |
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Pat Moore
From:
Virginia USA
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Posted 11 Dec 2021 4:30 pm Ground wire
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Hi Jamie,
Here's the best pic I could get. First, let me preface this by saying I'm not a pro PSG mechanic, but this is how it can be done.
The spring plate where you see the black wire has to be loosened by the screw that holds it solid to the body. I know there's 2, maybe 3 screws that secure it & they all need to be loosened up to get the wires underneath. You need to put the pickup wire stripped end under that plate & run a 2nd wire from under that plate to the input jack ground side. The stripped wire ends need to go by the left side of that screw so they dont slip out when you tighten that plate screw back.
Use a pair of pliers to hold the plate ends completely tight, moving all the springs stretched up against the stop. Otherwise your tuning wont be right. Tedious job, but it does eliminate the problem. I suspect that whoever changed the pickup didn't re-install the new one that way.
The factory stripped the pickup wire where it went under the plate, wrapped it around the screw,& continued that wire to the input jack. I think they did the wiring before all the rods & all were added. Only way to do that as far as I know is to remove all the rodding underneath to easily get the pickup wire under there. Not an option for me.
I would recommend trying the other methods first, & if the problem is still there, this is what needs to be done.
I hope this helps!
Best, Pat
Last edited by Pat Moore on 12 Dec 2021 5:18 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Don Downes
From:
New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 11 Dec 2021 5:57 pm
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| Quote: |
| (i assume I'm grounding myself or the guitar). |
Yes. This is not (IMO) an electrical problem with your guitar. Simply, you build up a static electric charge as you approach your guitar. If you are walking across a rug in wool socks, in 20% humidity, you are building up an electrical charge. This is called "tribocharging." (really). Since you guitar is NOT walking around with wool socks, it isn't building up a static charge. When you touch the guitar, there is a difference in charge potential between you and the guitar. When you touch the guitar, that's when Captain Marvel zaps you right between the eyes. (ZAP! Everybody sing).
You can remedy this by taking a piece of wire (speaker wire is good) and run it from your volume pedal, or any other grounded item, to earth ground (concrete, copper pipe, etc.) You will get a quick zap when you touch your guitar, just like anything else you touch in the winter, but it should eliminate any hums or buzzes (assuming everything else is properly grounded) that you're experiencing.
Happy winter
_________________
"The secret to a long life is to keep breathing." |
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